Devils Lake inter-ocean. (Devils Lake, Ramsey Co., Dakota [N.D.]) 1884-1905, 1887-05-21

beer Croft's house. That was in the middle
Of the afternoon, and they were until 8 O'Clock
getting here, poor little deals, for the track
was fainter then than it is now, and thew
wandered of into the veldt and would have
persisted there i'll the wet and cold had they
not CHANGED to see the lights of the house.
And that was how my nieces came here,
Capt. Mel. And here they have been ever
since, except for a couple of years when l
sent them to the Cape for schooling, and a
lonely man was when they We're away"
"And how about the fathers" asked John
Mel, deeply interested. Did you ever hear
any more Of him"
"Hear of him, the v~illain!" almost shouted
the old man, jumping up i'll wrath. cay,
d-n him, I heard of him. What do YOU
thinks The two chicks had been with me
some eighteen months, long enough for ME to
learn to love them with all my heart, when
one fine morning, as l was seeing about the
new kraal wall, l see a fellow come riding up
on an old, raw boned, gray horse. Up he
comes to me, and as he came l looked at him,
and said to myself, you are a d%runkard, YOU
are, and a rogne; it's written OH Your face.
and, what's more, l know your face,' You
see I did not guess it was a son of nv own
fathers that l was looking at. How
should IW
ISIS your name Croftf he said.
"'Ay,' l answered.
$50 is mine,' he went OIL with a sort of a
drunken leer. I'm your BROTHER
"'Are your I said, beginning to get NV
back up, for guessed what his game was,
and what may you he afters I tell YOU at
once, and to your face, that if you are my
brother You are II blackguard, and don't
want to know you or have anything to do
with you; and if you are not, l beg your
pardon for coupling you with such q
| s%coundrel.'
"Oh, that's your tune, Is it.. said he, with
a sneer. well, now, my dear brother Silas.
want my children. They lave got a little
half brother at home-for I AVE married
again, Silas-whoi is anxious to have them to
play with, SO if you will bose good as to hand
them over, III take them away at onco.'
"'Youn take them away, will youy' said 1,
all of a tlemble with rage and fear.
"'Ves, Silas, I will. They are mine by law.
and l am not going to breed children for YOU
to have the comfort of their society. I've
taken advice, Silas, and that's sound law,
and lie leered at me again.
II stood and looked at the man, and thought
of how he had treated those poor children and
their young mother, and my blood boiled and
I grew mad. Without another word I
jumped over the half finished wall and caught
him by the leg (for l was II strong man ten
years ago. and jerked him Off the horse. AS
no came down ho dropped the sjambock from
bis hand, and I caught hold of it and then
and there gave him the soundest hiding man
ever had. Lord, how he did halloa! When 1
was tired l let him get up.
"'Now,' l said, 'be Off with you, and if YOU
come back here I'll bid the Kafirs hunt you
back to Natal with their sticks. This is tho
South African Republic, and we don't care
overmuch about law here.' Which we didn't
in those days.
"'All right, Silas,' he said, all right, YOU
shall pay for this. I'll have those children,
and, for your sake, I'll make their life a hell
you mark my ~words-South African Re-
public or no South African Republic. I've
got tho law OH my side.'
"OH he rode, cursing and swearing, and l
flung his sjambock after him. And it was
tue first and last time I saw my brother"
what became of him." asked John Mel.
I'll tell you, just to show you again that
there is u power that keeps just such men in
its eye. He got back to Newcastle that night,
and went about the cantcen there abusing mo
and getting drunken and drunken, till ut last
the canteen keeper sent for his boys to turn
him out. We'll, tho boys were rough, US
katfirs are apt to be with n drunken white
man, and he struggled and fought, and in the
middle of it the blood began to run from his
mouth, and lie dropped down dead of a broken
blood vessel, and there was an end of him.
That is the story of the two girls, Capt. Mel,
and now I'm Off to bed. Tomorrow I'll show
you round tho farm, and we will AVE a talk
about business. Good night to you, Capt.
Mel: good nightr'
CHAPTER III.
MIR. FRANK MULLER.
John Mel woke early next morning, feeling
as sore and stiff as though ho had been well
beaten and then strapped up tight in horse
girths. He made shift, however, to dress
himself. and then, with the help of a stick,
limped through the French windows that
opened from his room on to tho veranda and
surveyed the scene before him. 1t was q dc.
lightful spot. At the back of tho house was
the steep, bowlder strewn faco Of tho fiat
topped hill That curved round on each side.
embosoming a great slope Of green, in tho lap
Of which the house was placed. The house
itself was solidly built of brown stone, and,
with the exception of the wagon shed and
other outhouscs, which were rooted with gull
vanized iron that shone and glistened in the
rays OF the morning sun in u way that would
have made an eagle blink, was covered with
rich brown thatch. All along it's front ran a
wide veranda, up the trellis work of which
green vines and blooming creepers trailod
pleasantly, and beyond was tho broad cur
riage drive of red soil, bordercd with bushy
orange trees laden with odorous flowers and
green and golden fruit. On the farther sido
Of the orange trees were tho gardens. fenced
in with low walls of rough stone, and the
orchard full Of standard fruit trees, and
beyond these again the oxen and ostrich
kraals, the latter full Of long necked birds.
To the right of the house grew thriving
plantations of blue gum and black waffle,
and to the left was a broad stretch Of cult
waited lands, lying so that they could be irri-
gated for winter crops by means Of water led
from the great spring that gushed from the
mountain side high above the house and gave
its name of Mooifontein to the place.
[COSTINIED.1